Vampire Hunter D: A Cursed Kiss
by josiejosie
Summary: D has spent his long life searching for someone. What happens when he finds them? What happens when someone gets in his way? He has to finish the mission, no matter what. Romance, violence, revenge and drama! Some adult language and themes later on.
1. Introduction

(I do not take ownership for characters from the VHD story, they belong to Hideyuki Kikuchi. The family I'm writing about and the town are mine, though. I'm just a fangirl with an imagination!)**  
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**Introduction**

For many years, perhaps for a century, no vampires or other creatures had been known to visit the frontier town. It was isolated and impoverished. The town itself laid between a mountain and the ocean, both of which were nearly barren. There was not much reason for humans to even pass by and this was a rare occurrence. So for years, the town of Taranteau was forgotten. It was not 'til the birth of a remarkably beautiful girl in the town that a powerful member of the Nobility began to pay attention.

He watched her for seventeen long, obsessive years as she became a woman. He watched her learn to speak; to walk; to read and write, to dance and sing, and he longed to teach her how to love him as he had loved her in her innocence for so many years. So on one of the many nights of his endless life, he came to the town dressed as a traveler and seduced the young woman as she was walking alone along the ocean shore. She had never seen a man with such unearthly grace and beauty before. She could not resist, and gave into him on the beach as the pale crescent moon hung woefully overhead, knowing all the dark things that she did not.


	2. The First Dawn

**Chapter 1**

Adelaide Rahan did not remember going to sleep in her room the night before. The last thing she remembered was walking along the beach on the outskirts of the town, then... cold, and darkness. What happened? Was it just a dream? She couldn't remember much of it and the harder she tried the further it seemed to slip from memory. She closed her eyes again and laid still in bed, basking in the warm morning sunlight pouring through her open window. After a few minutes she crawled out of bed, completely nude, and looked herself over in the antique standing mirror she kept in the corner. _I was probably just tired and had a nightmare_, she thought to herself. She didn't see any bruises or scrapes from sleep-walking or anything like that so she just shrugged it off.

What she did notice, for what seemed like the first time, was a womanly waist and her own small bosom budding. She blushed at the thought but it still made her smile. She felt attractive, not like a child anymore. She hadn't paid much attention to the changes in her body but suddenly, she realized, she had become a woman. She was not just a girl anymore. Her blush deepened and she grinned, spinning around in front of the mirror to admire herself. Her long, golden hair flowed behind her like the sunlight. She forgot all about the night before and excitedly dug in her closet to find something that would show off her new-found curves. After she was dressed she went downstairs to see her family.

Her father, Arthur, was the town's doctor and a small-time rancher. He was a well-built man, accustomed to physical labour more so than medicine. There were few people in Taranteau and so little resources; if anyone wanted to take care of their family in such a downtrodden town they had to do more than one thing to survive. When he was much younger he had originally come to Taranteau to replace their own doctor, who had passed away and had no replacement. When he discovered how little medical work there was to do he raised animals instead. He didn't mind. It was honest work.

Adelaide's mother, Agnes, had died when she was very young from a rare disease that her father was unable to cure. She never got a chance to know her mother. From what townsfolk had told her she was a gentle, quiet woman. She'd married her father soon after he moved into the town. She didn't know much else; her father didn't talk about her. She knew he always felt responsible for her death so she didn't ask about it.

Her older brother, Grayson, was very much like their father. He was strong, talented and ambitious. He was also very stubborn and set in his ways. He cared a great deal for his sister and helped their father with the ranching. Many girls in the town had been infatuated with him at some point or another; he was quite a handsome man, and being one of the only ones in town had its advantages.

When Adelaide left the house she found both men in the small field behind it, gathering sheep and shearing them. She spent the rest of the morning gathering and washing the wool.


	3. Memories

**Chapter 2**

Several weeks passed before Adelaide started to notice her belly beginning to bulge. At first she thought she was just gaining weight, but her father knew better. These changes were very noticeable to the trained eye but Arthur did not say anything to his daughter. He thought that he should wait for her to tell him instead. If she had remembered what happened all those nights ago, she would have.

As time went on she found herself remembering more of that strange night on the shore but believing it was just a dream, she ignored it. It wasn't for two months that she came to the realization that what happened was real as the full, horrifying memory came rushing back to her as she stood at her window one night, gazing out at the bright full moon.

_She was taking an evening stroll by the water; it was only her and the briny ocean breeze. The moon hung like a sliced pearl in the cloudless, star-studded sky. It was a beautiful night. Then there was a beautiful man. The stranger could not have been older than twenty-five, she thought. He was almost completely covered in a silky black cloak. The flesh of his face was milky-white and his touch was like frost as he caressed her. His hair was a wave of dark mahogany cascading down his chest and back. His eyes were like rubies. She was mesmerized._

_He kissed her passionately in the moonlight and she did not struggle. Rather, bewitched by the otherworldly man, she kissed him back, pulling him closer. She had never been kissed before. A warm sensation began to course through her body as he touched her, sliding his soft hands around her tiny waist. She had never felt this way before. Was this what love was like? _

_The stranger pulled away for a moment to speak._

"_My angel," he whispered, with a voice like honey. "I've wanted you for so long. Would you let me, though you do not know me?" His grip tightened around her in anticipation of an answer. Then, as he held her she realized that the stranger was not human at all, but a creature of the night; an ancient vampire. But she could not deny the genuine longing in his voice, or the desire in his eyes. She did not sense danger. Only a profound loneliness. She trusted him, and she felt that she needed him._

"_Take me." _

_The vampire grinned, his fangs glimmering in the moonlight. "Then I will only take one thing from you tonight, my sweet. I will be gentle. And when you call out my name, you shall call me... Vlad."_


	4. A Dirty Secret

**Chapter 3**

With horror, Adelaide understood all at once what was happening to her. She remembered the night she spent in the sand with her vampiric lover. She remembered his desperate hands, and her desperate kisses. She remembered when they finally came together and he exhausted himself within her. She knew that she was carrying his child, and she knew he would come back for her - and the child.

Adelaide placed her hands on her abdomen. What should she do? How could she tell anyone? There had only been humans in Taranteau for at least a hundred years; now all of a sudden there was a vampire, and it was her fault. What would the townspeople do to her? What would her father say?

Tears welled up in her eyes and she thought about leaving. Her hands went white as she gripped the windowsill so tightly, torn about making a decision. Tears began to fall and she made it. Tonight, she would pack up her things and leave Taranteau. The town had been safe for so long and been so kind to her family. The least she could do is lead the stranger away. They would never have to know. She would just disappear. Adelaide wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her nightdress and put on a brave face. This was her problem, and it was her responsibility to solve it.

Unaware as she prepared to leave, she was being watched. There were two who saw her slip silently outside in her riding clothes and take her horse from its stable. One was her dark admirer, the vampire as he gazed at the ranch with his supernatural sight from his home. The other was her brother who was working late in the field outside. Her brother acted.

"Addy!" He yelled out, startling her. "Going riding this late at night?"

Flustered, she shouted back, "Yes! I couldn't sleep!" Her heart raced. Her plan had been ruined so soon.

Though Grayson was not aware of her condition, he knew something was wrong. He jogged up to her as she stopped her horse outside the stable. She was in her full riding outfit, cloaked, and her saddles were filled. He had a pretty good idea what she was doing. But if she was unhappy or in trouble, why wouldn't she tell him?

"Just going for a ride," she laughed, nervously.

He ran his fingers through his coal-black hair, trying to think of what Adelaide might be running away from. It must have been bad, and he was determined to make her share it.

Then frrom inside the house, a sleeping Arthur was stirred by the voices of his children outside. He came out to find them arguing viciously. He was horrified to hear what they said as he got close.

The secret was out.


	5. Signs in the Desert

**Chapter 4**

A lone rider with a cyborg mount camped on the other side of the desolate mountain. He had not seen signs of civilization for days but he could detect it with his superhuman senses. One more night and he could reach it, he thought to himself. He was not rushing, however. He knew what had been traveling there and he knew it would not be leaving anytime soon. He could recognize that familiar scent anywhere and he was intent on tracking down the creature and killing it.

Only a day before, the young man had passed by a sign on an old, overgrown road. The paint was barely worn and only a few months old, he deduced. Scrawled across in black it read, "VAMPIRE HUNTER WANTED – 17 MILES EAST. NO MONEY." He could not imagine that any hunter would have responded to it if any had passed by, and he knew none had. They were mercenaries. They wouldn't work for nothing. However, he would respond. He was headed into the region for that purpose long before he saw the sign on the road. He was a hunter after all, but not just any ordinary hunter. He was a dhampir - the legendary vampire hunter, D.

D sat on the dusty ground against a withered tree, his long cloak draped around his elegant form with the brim of his hat hung over his handsome face. He was resting as the burning sun shone overhead. He rarely had any problems in the heat but this desert was just too much, and he didn't want to push himself. He knew he'd need all of his energy later. Reaching into a compartment in his utility belt he pulled out a dehydrated plasma pill and swallowed it with a sip from his flask, filled with water. He would stay beneath the shadeless tree for another hour or so, then continue his journey.

"It's too goddamn hot out here. You always choose the worst places. Can we get outta here _please_? I swear you do this to punish yourself," an abrasive voice grumbled.

"I'll be ready soon," D replied coolly. He took another sip from his flask.

"D, you're not a very good liar. Get up off your skinny ass. I'm melting here!"

"Deal with it." He screwed the cap back onto his flask and clipped it onto his belt. He was talking to the parasitic being that resided in the palm of his left hand, who seemed to relish aggravating its host.

Left Hand mumbled something incoherent and disappeared back into D's flesh. It knew it could never win against the dhampir, especially when he was feeling as foul as it knew he was. They had both been through much worse before, anyway. It was complaining for the fun of it. As something that only ever got to talk to someone who hated talking, there was not much else it could really do. For the most part, it was very boring being a hunter's left hand.

D lingered beneath the tree far longer than he thought he would. There was something about the desert as the sun went down that still enchanted him after all his years roaming the planet. The way the dry, red world turned blue; how the landscape, seemingly dead, came alive as all the animals rose from their sleep. How the scorchingly hot day became freezing darkness. He did not know if these feelings for the night were from his vampire side or if humans felt this way too. He had never spoken of such things with anyone before, and Left Hand would probably not know or mock him for wondering. He decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

Without a sound, he rose from his spot on the ground and untied his mechanical companion. He mounted so nimbly it was as if he was weightless. Such was the grace of a dhampir. Pulling a threadbare striped scarf over his face, D then gripped the reins and headed off to conquer the mountain and reach the fosaken town beyond it before dawn.

It did not take long for D to cross it.


	6. The Hunter's Arrival

**Chapter 5**

Grayson was doing repairs on the family stable when he saw the silhouette of the horse and rider in the distance. Shielding his eyes from the glare of the rising sun, he called out to him. "Stranger! You a hunter?"

D did not reply.

"For fuck's sake," he muttered. Grayson threw his tools to the side and tried again as D got closer. "You! Rider! Is this asshole deaf?"

Adelaide watched the scene unfold from her bedroom window, facing the sunrise. She could not make out any of the foreigner's features, but could see his mount glint in the sun's crimson light. She instantly recognized it as one of the cyborg horses her father had told her about from the cities. They were unbelievably expensive, he had told her. You couldn't buy one with a lifetime's wages. So whoever the rider was, he must have been worth a fortune.

Throwing a worn, patchy cloak around her body she came outside to meet the curious visitor. She had hoped he was there to reply to one of the signs Grayson had put up around the region calling for a vampire hunter. It had been almost four months and no one had come. If he wasn't... at least she could see a cyborg horse and meet someone new. In a town like Taranteau, both were once in a lifetime experiences.

D had been surveying the ranch long before the brother and sister had noticed him. His visual range far exceeded that of any human. Not only could he see in the dark, but he could see three times as far, with the clarity of a bird of prey. He had been gauging the situation for quite some time and assumed this ranch was the correct one. The young man's call confirmed it. He continued to guide his mount forward, secretly anxious to hear what the two knew about the vampire that was in the area.


	7. A Meeting of Three

**Chapter 6**

Grayson could make out D's details by the time Adelaide had joined him outside the stable. The rider was wearing a long black cloak that flowed behind him and fluttered in the wind. Beneath the cloak was a sleek, armour-reinforced body suit. His boots were high and elegant, as were his gloves. He was also wearing a black traveller's hat that hid his eyes, and a scarf that hid the rest of his face. His hair appeared to be tied up behind his head. A heavy blue pendant hung from his neck. An unusual sword rested across his back.

"Probably just a lost rich guy," Grayson grumbled after seeing the rider's clothes. He picked up his tools and started working on the stable again. "You go tell him how to get out of here or send him to another house. We don't want him 'round here."

Adelaide was saddened by her brother's words. He was usually so kind. She had seen him change greatly since she had explained to him what happened to her, and she wished all of it had never happened. Life had changed so dramatically since that night on the ocean shore so long ago.

She had not lost her kindness like Grayson had, however. She confidently walked up to meet the mysterious rider as he approached the two. Grayson watched the encounter in silence out of the corner of his eye as he got back to work.

"Good morning, stranger! What brings you to our ranch?" She chimed, clutching her cloak tightly around her thin shoulders. It was a chilly morning.

The girl was a stark contrast to the moody young man at the stable, D thought. He examined her. She looked undernourished, as did the man. Her hair was long and golden, braided at the side. His was short and black. She seemed genuine in her greeting, but the man seemed adamant in ignoring D. He assumed they were probably a married couple as they were alone together on the ranch.

"Can I get you anything, sir? Are you thirsty? I could get you a drink. It must have been horrible in the desert."

Left Hand quietly chuckled about the girl's question to the dhampir, but only D could hear.

"I am alright. Thank you, miss."

His voice was like music, and seemed so familiar to her. "Are you lost?" She questioned.

"No. I am here to find a vampire. Are you the ones who placed the signs in the desert?"

Adelaide's heart raced; the man was a hunter! "Yes!" She cried, and rushed to the side of his mount, looking up desperately into his shadowed face. "Can you help us? We don't have a lot of money; all we could do is feed you and put a roof over your head. Please?" When he did not reply, she grasped his cloak and held it tight. She did not cry, or beg. Her face grew stern and she asked him again.

He gazed down at her. She was beautiful. Her full lips were pursed in tension, her cheeks in full blush from excitement. He could hear her young heart beating wildly. For a moment, he was spellbound. He could see why the other man would marry her so young, if they were indeed together.

"If you won't, I don't blame you, sir," she sighed as she released her grasp. "I'm sorry you came out here for nothing. If you want, you can stay here for awhile 'til you're ready to leave. It's not often that we get visitors." A look of dejection crossed her face as she turned away.

D used this chance to glance at her neck. She had not been bitten, and he knew that the man had not been either. He did not sense anyone else on the ranch. "Why do you need a hunter?" He abruptly asked her.

Adelaide looked back up at the man and pulled off her tattered cloak, revealing to the hunter all that he needed to know.


	8. Something Else to Deal With

**Chapter 7**

He was surprised he hadn't guessed it, but the girl was pregnant, and quite far along.

"I assume the father is a vampire."

Adelaide cringed at the words. "Yes." Her simple clothes clung tight in the wind, exposing the fullness of her belly. On her face was a look of shame.

D dismounted with a flourish and placed a hand on Adelaide's belly. "How long ago did it happen?" His voice betrayed his feelings. On the outside D was cool and collected; on the inside he was tormented. She was human. Inside her, another half-breed creature like him was being bred. He understood the miserable life the child and its mother would live. It was his own life, and he did not wish it on anyone else. Humans could not understand the agony of living forever, hated by all, or the unquenchable thirst for blood along with its unending hunger.

Grayson was paying full attention to the scene now and strutted over, impatient with the conversation and protective of his sister. "Get your filthy hands off," Grayson threatened.

"Or what," D replied, nonchalantly. Unknown to the two, D had been using Left Hand's powers to evaluate the child's health and age. He did not want to be interrupted.

Grayson was about to say something but Adelaide stopped him. "Could you tell us your name, sir?" She asked softly, placing her own slender hand on top of D's."My name is Adelaide. This is Grayson. We own this ranch." Grayson crossed his arms and nodded at the hunter.

"D," he said as slipped his hand out from under hers, shocked by her warm touch. "My name is D." Sliding a finger beneath his scarf, he pulled it down to speak easier. Uncomfortable moisture had been accumulating on the fabric as he spoke. As it fell round his ashen neck he saw alarm flash through Adelaide's eyes. Grayson saw it as well, but only D understood.

Adelaide said nothing, but her mind was on fire. D looked just like the vampire she had met six months ago. The memory flashed back to her and for a moment she feared that it might have been him. Since he was standing there in the sunlight she knew he couldn't have been, but she could still not explain it. Maybe she was imagining a resemblance, she thought. She just could not make sense of what she was seeing.

It was all the confirmation D needed. He knew he'd found what he was looking for and he would be staying here 'til the job was done, pay or no pay. All he had to do is wait for the vampire to return.


	9. An Inexplicable Resemblance?

**Chapter 8**

Adelaide never spoke to anyone about D's similarity to the vampire she had been with. She was sure it was just her mind playing tricks; that night had been so long ago, the memory was hazy. She was probably just imagining it. Everyone would think she was insane if she said anything about it. Still, Adelaide felt as if D knew. He had this special way of knowing things, she realized over the weeks that he lived at the ranch. But maybe it was just the way she looked at him that gave her thoughts away. She couldn't help it – D was just how she remembered that vampire and she didn't have the courage to say so.

There were other things that were strange about D, she thought. Since they met, he hadn't eaten much and he rarely spoke. He did not seem to sleep much either and he was always heavily clothed, keeping his face concealed. Sometimes he could be heard talking to himself or couldn't be found for hours. The townsfolk noticed it as well but since no one had ever met a hunter before they assumed that perhaps they were all bizarre that way, not that any of them would have confronted him about it. He was quite a daunting figure.

D had his own thoughts about the young woman but tried to push them to the back of his mind. He was at the ranch for other reasons, but she was a pleasant distraction when he had nothing else to do. The plan that he and the family made was to wait until the vampire returned instead of seeking him out so he had to admit, there was a great deal of time in a day for pleasant distractions.

"Admit it, you like the girl," Left Hand teased as D wandered around the outskirts of town. "You don't mind being out here so much. Quit moping."

As usual, D did not say anything. He just kept walking.

"C'mon. She's definitely a cute one. Don't imagine she'll like it when she finds out you're a dhampir, though," Left Hand commented. "Seems to want your father dead pretty badly too. Don't think you'll have much of a chance with her after you tell her about that."

"She doesn't have to know," D growled.

"Hit a nerve, old boy? Not planning to tell her? She'll find out some time, so why don't you get some action before she's in the know? Your father already did. Now, that's a man with good taste. And so what she's carrying your half-brother? I know I wouldn't mind feeling her up, all I ever get to do is-"

"Enough!" D snarled and clenched his fist shut. Left Hand struggled against his grip, trying to say more but unable to. He knew he'd gone too far but he loved provoking the hunter. After a minute D released him.

Left Hand sputtered a quick apology and faded back into the hunter's palm.

D then continued his stroll around the town's borders in silence, feeling more conflicted than he'd felt in a thousand years.


	10. Oncoming Winter

**Chapter 9**

_**Thank you everyone who sent me reviews and favourited my story! I'm not sure how to reply to you so I'll say it here: thank you so much, you've given me the drive to finish this. You're the best! 3**_

It was now late autumn. The trees, once bright with leaves of red and gold, were beginning to go bare. Fields were emptied as the townsfolk had their final harvests. Animals were being kept indoors. The wind was chill, and everyone was preparing for the winter. As the weather generators for this region had been out of commission for centuries each season was bitter and unpredictable, so people prepared for the worst every time.

Adelaide, however, was preparing for worse than that. Come early winter, she knew that _he _would return and take the child from her when it was born, and who knew what else would happen. Would her take her too? Would he harm anyone? As a hunter, she knew that D would probably have a good idea of what to expect and asked him. He simply told her not to worry. It only worried her more.

D did have a good idea of what might happen. He had seen it before; a vampire becomes infatuated with a human woman, rapes her, and waits for her to give birth 'til he comes back for it. Then, the vampire either kills the woman or turns her into a companion. The infant dhampir is then taken and raised with its father. 'Til it realizes what a monster it is and escapes, he thought to himself. He thought about his own mother and his own life. He did not want it to happen to anyone else, especially by the hand of his father. He had to kill him. D would not rest 'til he, and every other vampire, was dead. This is why he had been waiting at the ranch. He was counting on his father's return in order to slay him.

Snapping him out of his reverie, D heard the soft padding of footsteps from the top floor of the house.

"D? Where are you?" Adelaide was calling out for him. She was lonely; the townsfolk had been avoiding her and Grayson was always busy. As she was too far along to do ranch work, he had to do her share. The only person she could really spend time with was D. He didn't mind.

"Downstairs. I'll come up."


	11. Questions and Answers

**Chapter 10**

D found her sitting on the edge of a clothing trunk in her bedroom. She wore a loose tunic and a time-worn pair of jeans she had altered to fit her growing waistline. The bigger she got, the more uncomely she felt and she had given up trying to flatter her figure. D, however, found her even more beautiful. In fact, he thought she was radiant. He sat down beside her but instead of her usual smile, she greeted him with a look of sadness.

"I've been thinking about something," she said to him. Her fingers toyed with a strand of threat from her tunic. "My baby - it will be a dhampir. So once you've killed the vampire, I was hoping that you... I mean, what will stop you from... from..." She couldn't seem to finish her sentence, but she knew she had to talk about this.

"From killing your child?" D's voice was cold.

Adelaide looked away from him and whispered a quiet yes.

"I don't like to kill dhampirs."

She was relieved. "Is it because you're one of them?"

D's eyes widened briefly with genuine shock. He could not figure out how she knew and he wondered how long it had been since she had figured it out. He thought that if Adelaide knew she would cast him out, like any other person would. "I am, he whispered. "But there is something else you need to know. The vampire who came to you – he was my father. Do you think that makes me a monster?" His heart began to beat faster as he revealed the secret he'd been keeping from her.

Adelaide turned her warm gaze back to the gorgeous hunter. "You're not a monster, D. Neither is my child. Besides, I already guessed. You had to get those unusual good looks from somewhere," she chuckled.

It was his turn to look away. He was not used to kind words from humans.

"Listen, I don't want you to think there's anything wrong with you," she pleaded as she took him by the hand. "You've been so wonderful here on the ranch. I'm sure everyone in town would've thrown me out by now if you weren't here, or worse..."

D remained silent and his pale face was expressionless. Adelaide was uncertain what she should say next. She did not know how he was actually feeling.

With some hesitation she finally stated, "I want to show you something, D. Would you come to the beach with me? Just let me change, first."


	12. You Choose the Way You Live

**Chapter 11**

She stood barefoot in the sand, hands resting on her protruding abdomen. Icy water lapped at her toes and the hem of the dress she had put on, much like the stranger's lips on hers that fateful night. "This is where we met," she whispered. She gazed out into the ocean, but at nothing. "It was like a dream. I didn't know if it was real. I didn't care. I wanted him, I won't lie." Adelaide turned her gaze to D. "But if I knew it would have turned out like this, I never would have let him."

"He would have taken you anyway."

A look of sadness crossed her face. "D, I never wanted to be... helpless. I never wanted to cause so much trouble for everyone else. I just didn't want to feel alone anymore. He made me happy for a while."

Memories of D's mother flashed back to him and he got lost in them. He had heard nearly the same words from her all those millennia ago when he was a child. Though he never really forgave her, he had some sympathy. He was no stranger to loneliness. As he watched Adelaide standing there on the shore he considered that she even resembled his mother, from her delicate looks to her very nature. It infuriated and sickened him that his father treated innocent human women this way. How all vampires treated humans. That's why he had to hunt them.

Adelaide could see that D was lost in thought and she thought it best to leave him alone. She bundled the fabric of her dress in her palms and walked out of the rising water. The tide had been creeping up on the two for quite some time. She then slipped her shoes on, dry as she had left them on a piece of driftwood, and took a few steps towards town.

"D," Adelaide whispered, halting a few feet away from him.

Silence.

"Remember, I want to kill him too."

The silence continued. D did not stir, but Adelaide was suddenly overcome with emotion.

"My father..." Her voice cracked, her grief finally spilling out. "My father wanted to kill it. He wanted to try, but he was just desperate!" She grasped at her belly, the pain of the memory still fresh for her. "He thought that if we killed it our town would be left alone again. All he wanted was for the townsfolk to be safe! He would have never done it..." Her pained look was then suddenly replaced with one of anger. "Your father came and killed him instead before anything happened to me or the child – not because he cares, but because he just sees me as some plaything and doesn't want anyone else to get in the way of his little fantasy," she seethed. "I was so wrong about him. He doesn't love me. I was stupid. He killed my own father right in front of me and for that alone, I want him dead as badly as you do."

"I see." D could feel her hot gaze on him and did not know how to reply. He had had not known. "It's understandable that you hate vampires now," was all he said.

Her look abruptly softened, sensing that D might have thought she had similar feelings about him. "I don't hate vampires _or_ dhampirs, "she sighed. "We all come from the same place." She stepped closer to him and took one of his pale hands in both of hers, looking up into his blood-red eyes. "We're all family on this planet, no matter who or what we are. I would have never wished harm on him, if not for... if not for this. You understand that I want to stop him, but not because he's a vampire – because he's evil. There's nothing wrong with being a vampire or anything else. It doesn't determine who you are. I believe that you choose the way you live."

To Adelaide's surprise D squeezed her hands back, though his faced remained emotionless. She sensed from the stoic hunter that he understood and that she had said all she needed to say. Her heart didn't feel so heavy anymore and she hoped his felt lifted as well. With that she let go of his hand, thanked him for listening and walked back to town, leaving the patient dhampir to his mysterious thoughts as the golden sun began to set over the horizon.


End file.
